Volume 98: Wang Zhengjun

卷九十八元后傳第六十八

Volume 98: Biography of Empress Yuan, the sixty-eighth.

孝元皇后，王莽姑也。莽自謂黃帝之後，其《自本》曰：黃帝姓姚氏，八世生虞舜。舜起媯汭，以媯為姓。至周武王封舜後媯滿於陳，是為胡公，十三世生完。完字敬仲，奔齊，齊桓公以為卿，姓田氏。十一世，田和有齊國，二世稱王，至王建為秦所滅。項羽起，封建孫安為濟北王。至漢興，安失國，齊人謂之「王家」，因以為氏。

The Empress Xiaoyuan was Wang Mang's paternal aunt. Wang Mang styled himself a descendant of the Yellow Emperor; in his own genealogical memoir he wrote that the Yellow Emperor's clan name was Yao and that eight generations later came Shun of Yu. Shun rose to power from the banks of the Gui and adopted Gui as his surname. King Wu of Zhou enfeoffed Shun's descendant Gui Man in Chen as Duke Hu; thirteen generations later the line reached Wan. Wan, whose courtesy name was Jingzhong, fled to Qi; Duke Huan of Qi appointed him minister, and the family took the surname Tian. Eleven generations on, Tian He took control of Qi; two generations of his house assumed the royal title before King Jian was extinguished by Qin. When Xiang Yu rose in rebellion, he made Jian's grandson An king of Jibei. After the Han rose, An lost his kingdom; the people of Qi spoke of the family as the "royal house," and from that they took the surname Wang.

文、景間，安孫遂字伯紀，處東平陵，生賀，字翁孺。為武帝繡衣御史，逐捕魏郡群盜堅盧等黨與，及吏畏懦逗留當坐者，翁孺皆縱不誅。它部御史暴勝之等奏殺二千石，誅千石以下，及通行飲食坐連及者，大部至斬萬餘人，語見《酷吏傳》。翁孺以奉使不稱免，歎曰：「吾聞活千人者有封子孫，吾所活者萬餘人，後世其興乎！」

In the time between Emperors Wen and Jing, An's grandson Wang Sui, courtesy name Boji, lived at Dongpingling and had a son named He, courtesy name Wengru. Serving as the emperor's embroidered-gown censor, he ran down the associates of the Wei bandit Jian Lu and the like, together with timid officials who had dragged their feet and merited death for it; Wang Wengru set every one of them free. Other censors, Bao Shengzhi among them, asked leave to kill two-thousand-bushel officials and everyone down to the thousand-bushel rank, and anyone caught merely for having fed or lodged them; the biggest sweeps took more than ten thousand lives, as told in the "Harsh Officials" chapter. Dismissed for failing in his assignment, he sighed: "They say saving a thousand men wins a fief for one's heirs. I spared well over ten thousand—perhaps fortune awaits my line after all."

翁孺既免，而與東平陵終氏為怨，乃徙魏郡元城委粟里，為三老，魏郡人德之。元城建公曰：「昔春秋沙麓崩，晉史卜之，曰：『陰為陽雄，土火相乘，故有沙麓崩。後六百四十五年，宜有聖女興。』其齊田乎！今王翁孺徙，正真其地，日月當之。元城郭東有五鹿之虛，即沙鹿地也。後八十年，當有貴女興天下」云。

Once dismissed, he made an enemy of the Zhong clan of Dongpingling and moved to Weisui Lane in Yuancheng, Wei commandery, serving as a village elder whom the locals came to esteem. An elder of Yuancheng named Jian said: "When Shalu fell in the Spring and Autumn period, Jin's scribes divined and said, 'Yin contends as the male partner of yang; earth and fire grind against each other—hence the landslide at Shalu. Six hundred forty-five years later a sage woman should arise. Will it not be among the Tian of Qi? Now Wang Wengru has settled exactly on that ground, under the conjunction of sun and moon. East of Yuancheng's wall lies the barren tract called Five Deer—the old site of Shalu. In another eighty years a woman of high destiny will rise to sway the realm," people said."

翁孺生禁，字稚君，少學法律長安，為廷尉史，本始三年，生女政君，即元后也。禁有大志，不修廉隅，好酒色，多取傍妻，凡有四女八男；長女君俠，次即元后政君，次君力，次君弟；長男鳳孝卿，次曼元卿，譚子元，崇少子，商子夏，立子叔，根稚卿，逢時委卿，唯鳳、崇與元后政君同母。母，適妻，魏郡李氏女也。後以妒去，更嫁為河內苟賓妻。

He begat Wang Jin, courtesy name Zhijun, who studied law in Chang'an as a young man and served as a clerk under the commandant of justice; in the third year of Benshi (71 BCE) his daughter Zhengjun was born—she who would become Empress Yuan. Wang Jin nursed large designs, cared little for small scruples, and indulged in wine and concubines; he fathered four daughters and eight sons. The eldest daughter was Junxia; next came Zhengjun, the future empress; then Junli and Junyi. The sons were, in order, Feng (Xiaoqing), Man (Yuanqing), Tan (Ziyuan), Chong (Shaozi), Shang (Zixia), Li (Shuzi), Gen (Zhijun), and Fengshi (Weiqing); only Feng and Chong were born of the same mother as Zhengjun. Their mother was his legitimate wife, a woman of the Li clan of Wei commandery. Later he divorced her for jealousy; she married again as the wife of Gou Bin of Henei.

初，李親任政君在身，夢月入其懷。及壯大，婉順得婦人道。嘗許嫁，未行，所許者死。後東平王聘政君為姬，未入，王薨。禁獨怪之，使卜數者相政君：「當大貴，不可言。」禁心以為然，乃教書，學鼓琴。五鳳中，獻政君，年十八矣，入掖庭為家人子。

While Li was still carrying Zhengjun, she dreamed the moon slipped into her womb. As she grew, she was mild and yielding in the way expected of a woman. She was promised in marriage once, but before the ceremony could take place the bridegroom died. The prince of Dongping then chose her as a concubine; before she could enter his household the prince died. Wang Jin alone found this uncanny and had fortune-tellers examine her face: "She is destined for supreme rank—beyond what words can tell. He believed them and had her taught letters and the zither. During Wufeng he offered her at court; at eighteen she entered the imperial women's quarters as a family attendant.

歲餘，會皇太子所愛幸司馬良娣病，且死，謂太子曰：「妾死非天命，乃諸娣妾良人更祝詛殺我。」太子憐之，且以為然。及司馬良娣死，太子悲恚發病，忽忽不樂，因以過怒諸娣妾，莫得進見者。久之，宣帝聞太子恨過諸娣妾，欲順適其意，乃令皇后擇後宮家人子可以虞侍太子者，政君與在其中。及太子朝，皇后乃見政君等五人，微令旁長御問知太子所欲。太子殊無意於五人者，不得已於皇后，強應曰：「此中一人可。」是時政君坐近太子，又獨衣絳緣諸于，長御即以為是。皇后使侍中杜輔、掖庭令濁賢交送政君太子宮，見丙殿。得御幸，有身。先是者，太子後宮娣妾以十數，御幸久者七八年，莫有子，及王妃一幸而有身。甘露三年，生成帝於甲館畫堂，為世適皇孫。宣帝愛之，自名曰驁，字太孫，常置左右。

A year or so later the heir's beloved attendant, the Sima good-conduct maid, sickened and, dying, told him, "I am not dying of natural fate—the other concubines have taken turns cursing me to death. The heir mourned her and believed her. After she died he sank into grief and rage, fell ill, and moped in misery, then turned his fury on every concubine and shut them all out. In time Emperor Xuan learned the heir was tormenting his women and meant to ease his temper; he told the empress to select family attendants from the harem to serve the heir, and Zhengjun was on the list. When the heir came to audience, the empress presented Zhengjun and four others and quietly had a senior woman-in-waiting learn which he favored. He cared nothing for any of the five; pressed by the empress he answered reluctantly, "One among these will do." Zhengjun happened to sit closest to him and was the only one in a jacket piped with crimson; the attendant assumed she was his choice. The empress sent Palace Attendant Du Fu and Yeeting Director Zhuo Xian to conduct Zhengjun to the heir's residence and the Bing Hall. He lay with her once, and she conceived. Until then dozens of concubines had shared his bed, some favored seven or eight years, yet none had conceived; the royal consort conceived from that one union. In the third year of Ganlu (51 BCE) she bore Emperor Cheng in the painted hall of the Jia lodge—the generation's legitimate heir in the direct line. Emperor Xuan doted on the boy, personally named him Ao with the style Taisun, and kept him always near.

後三年，宣帝崩，太子即位，是為孝元帝。立太孫為太子，以母王妃為婕妤，封父禁為陽平侯。後三日，婕妤立為皇后，禁位特進，禁弟弘至長樂衛尉。永光二年，禁薨，謚曰頃侯。長子鳳嗣侯，為衛尉侍中，皇后自有子後，希復進見。太子壯大，寬博恭慎，語在《成紀》。其後幸酒，樂燕樂，元帝不以為能。而傅昭儀有寵於上，生定陶共王。王多材藝，上甚愛之，坐則側席，行則同輦，常有意欲廢太子而立共王。時鳳在位，與皇后、太子同心憂懼，刺侍中史丹擁右太子，語在《丹傳》。上亦以皇后素謹慎，而太子先帝所常留意，故得不廢。

Three years later Emperor Xuan died, and the heir apparent came to the throne as Emperor Yuan. The emperor designated his grandson heir apparent, promoted the boy's mother from Wang consort to the rank of Jieyu, and enfeoffed the child's father, Wang Jin, as marquis of Yangping. Three days afterward she was raised to empress; Wang Jin received the honorific rank of Tejin, and his younger brother Wang Hong was appointed commandant of the guard at Changle Palace. Wang Jin died in the second year of the Yongguang era and was given the posthumous name Qing, “the Rushing Marquis.” His eldest son, Wang Feng, succeeded to the title and held the posts of commandant of the guard and attendant-in-chamber, but once the empress had a son of her own he was rarely admitted to the emperor's presence. The crown prince matured into a generous, grave, and careful young man; the fuller story is told in the Annals of Emperor Cheng. Later he took to drink and the pleasures of the banquet hall, and Emperor Yuan came to think little of his abilities. Lady Fu the Brilliant Companion, meanwhile, had won the emperor's favor and had given birth to the Prince of Dingtao, posthumously titled Gong. The prince was accomplished in many arts, and the emperor doted on him, giving him the seat of honor and riding beside him in the same carriage; he repeatedly considered replacing the crown prince with the Prince of Gong. Wang Feng was then in power and shared the empress's and the heir apparent's alarm; he pressed Attendant Shi Dan to shore up the crown prince's position, as related in the biography of Shi Dan. The emperor also remembered that the empress had always been prudent and that the late emperor had long watched over the crown prince, and so he never carried through with the deposition.

元帝崩，太子立，是為孝成帝。尊皇后為皇太后，以鳳為大司馬大將軍領尚書事，益封五千戶。王氏之興自鳳始。又封太后同母弟崇為安成侯，食邑萬戶。鳳庶弟譚等皆賜爵關內侯，食邑。

When Yuan died, the heir mounted the throne as Emperor Cheng. The empress was elevated to empress dowager; Wang Feng was made grand marshal and general-in-chief with oversight of the Masters of Writing, with an extra five thousand households added to his enfeoffment. The ascendancy of the Wang clan began with Wang Feng. Her uterine brother Chong was also enfeoffed as marquis of Ancheng with ten thousand households. Feng's half-brothers Tan and the others were all granted rank as secondary marquises within the passes, each with a stipend.

其夏，黃霧四塞終日。天子以問諫大夫楊興、博王駟勝等，對皆以為：「陰盛侵陽之氣也。高祖之約也，非功臣不侯，今太后諸弟皆以無功為侯，非高祖之約，外戚未曾有也，故天為見異。」言事者多以為然。鳳於是懼，上書辭謝曰：「陛下即位，思慕諒闇，故詔臣鳳典領尚書事，上無以明聖德，下無以益政治。今有孛星天地赤黃之異，咎在臣鳳，當伏顯戮，以謝天下。今諒闇已畢，大義皆舉，宜躬親萬機，以承天心。」因乞骸骨辭職。上報曰：「朕承先帝聖緒，涉道未深，不明事情，是以陰陽錯繆，日月無光，赤黃之氣，充塞天下。咎在朕躬，今大將軍乃引過自予，欲上尚書事，歸大將軍印綬，罷大司馬官，是明朕之不德也。朕委將軍以事，誠欲庶幾有成，顯先祖之功德。將軍其專心固意，輔朕之不逮，毋有所疑。」

That summer a yellow mist blanketed the realm from horizon to horizon. The emperor put the matter to Remonstrance Grandee Yang Xing, Erudite Wang Sisheng, and others; they all replied, "It is the vapor of yin pressing upon yang. Gaozu's covenant was that none who were not merit officials should be marquises; now the empress dowager's brothers have all been made marquises without merit—not Gaozu's rule—and such a thing had never happened with affinal kin before; therefore heaven showed this anomaly." Most who addressed the court thought them right. Feng grew frightened and memorialized a self-rebuke: "Since you took the throne you have kept mourning seclusion, so you bade me Feng oversee the Masters of Writing; yet I have done nothing aloft to display your sage virtue or below to better the administration. Now a comet has appeared and heaven and earth have flushed red-yellow—the blame is mine; I deserve public execution to answer to the empire. Now the mourning seclusion is finished and the great rites have all been performed; you ought personally to handle the myriad affairs and answer heaven's mind." He asked leave to retire and yield his post. The reply ran: "I continue the sacred line of my predecessors; my grasp of the Way is shallow and I misread affairs, so yin and yang tangle, sun and moon lose their radiance, and a sallow red mist chokes the realm. The fault is mine; yet the great general would shoulder the guilt himself, return the Masters of Writing, give back the seal and ribbon of general-in-chief, and strip the grand marshal's office—thus proclaiming my want of virtue. I charged you, General, with power because I hoped for achievement worthy of our forebears' deeds. Fix your resolve and steady your will; shore up my shortcomings and do not doubt my intent."

後五年，諸吏散騎安成侯崇薨，謚曰共侯。有遺腹子奉世嗣侯，太后甚哀之。明年，河平二年，上悉封舅譚為平阿侯，商成都侯，立紅陽侯，根曲陽侯，逢時高平侯。五人同日封，故世謂之「五侯」。太后同產唯曼蚤卒，余畢侯矣。太后母李親，苟氏妻，生一男名參，寡居。頃侯禁在時，太后令禁還李親。太后憐參，欲以田□分為比而封之。上曰：「封田氏，非正也。」以參為侍中水衡都尉。王氏子弟皆卿、大夫、侍中、諸曹，分據勢官滿朝廷。

Five years later Wang Chong, marquis of Ancheng and holder of the title of assorted-attendant cavalryman, died and received the posthumous name Gong, “the Harmonious Marquis.” He left a posthumous son, Wang Fengshi, who succeeded to the title; the empress dowager was deeply moved by the boy's plight. The following year, the second year of Heping, he enfeoffed all five uncles on his mother's side: Wang Tan as marquis of Ping'e, Wang Shang as marquis of Chengdu, Wang Li as marquis of Hongyang, Wang Gen as marquis of Quyang, and Wang Fengshi as marquis of Gaoping. Because all five received their patents on the same day, people spoke of them collectively as the "Five Marquises." Among the empress dowager's siblings by the same parents, only Wang Man had died young; every one of the others had by now been made a marquis. The empress dowager's mother, Li Qin, had been married into the Gou family; she had one son, Shen, and was living alone after her husband's death. While Wang Jin still lived, the empress dowager had him formally receive her mother, Li Qin, back into the family. She pitied Wang Shen and wished to enfeoff him with emoluments comparable to Tian Fen's marquisate. The emperor replied, "Creating another Tian marquisate would be irregular." Instead he named Wang Shen attendant-in-chamber and superintendent of the Water Office. Young men of the Wang clan filled the ranks of ministers, grandees, palace attendants, and bureau heads until powerful Wang appointments crowded every corridor of government.

大將軍鳳用事，上遂謙讓無所顓。左右常薦光祿大夫劉向少子歆通達有異材。上召見歆，誦讀詩賦，甚說之，欲以為中常侍，召取衣冠。臨當拜，左右皆曰：「未曉大將軍。」上曰：「此小事，何須關大將軍？」左右叩頭爭之。上於是語鳳，鳳以為不可，乃止。其見憚如此。

Once Wang Feng held the reins, the emperor grew retiring and asserted nothing on his own. His attendants kept recommending Liu Xin, the younger son of Palace Grandee Liu Xiang, as learned and possessed of rare talent. The emperor called Xin in, heard him intone poetry and fu, delighted in him, meant to appoint him palace attendant, and ordered his regalia brought. At the moment of appointment those about him all said, "The great general has not been consulted. The emperor answered, "A trifle like this—why trouble the great general? They kowtowed and argued him down. He spoke to Feng after all; Feng forbade it, and the plan died. Such was the fear he inspired.

上即位數年，無繼嗣，體常不平。定陶共王來朝，太后與上承先帝意，遇共王甚厚，賞賜十倍於它王，不以往事為纖介。共王之來朝也，天子留，不遣歸國。上謂共王：「我未有子，人命不諱，一朝有它，且不復相見。爾長留侍我矣！」其後，天子疾益有瘳，共王因留國邸，旦夕侍上，上甚親重。大將軍鳳心不便共王在京師，會日蝕，鳳因言：「日蝕，陰盛之象，為非常異。定陶王雖親，於禮當奉籓在國。今留侍京師，詭正非常，故天見戒。宜遣王之國。」上不得已於鳳而許之。共王辭去，上與相對涕泣而決。

A few years on the throne he still had no successor and his body was seldom robust. When the Prince Gong of Dingtao came to court, the empress dowager and the emperor, honoring the late emperor's wishes, lavished on him tenfold what other princes received and never nursed old slights. They detained him at the capital and would not send him home. The emperor told him, "I have no son; fate does not promise long life—if I died tomorrow we might never meet again. Stay with me always!" The emperor then rallied; the prince lodged in the capital guesthouse, attending him day and night, and grew dearer than ever. Wang Feng disliked keeping the prince at the capital; when an eclipse came he declared, "An eclipse shows yin ascendant—an omen outside the norm. The Prince of Dingtao was kin, yet rite said a prince should keep to his domain. Keeping him here bends the rule and invites heaven's rebuke. Send him back to his fief." The emperor, unable to gainsay Feng, agreed. When the prince departed, emperor and kinsman wept face to face at their parting.

京兆尹王章素剛直敢言，以為鳳建遣共王之國非是，乃奏封事言日蝕之咎矣。天子召見章，延問以事，章對曰：「天道聰明，佑善而災惡，以瑞異為符效。今陛下以未有繼嗣，引近定陶王，所以承宗廟，重社稷，上順天心，下安百姓。此正義善事，當有祥瑞，何故致災異？災異之發，為大臣顓政者也。今聞大將軍猥歸日蝕之咎於定陶王，建遣之國，苟欲使天子孤立於上，顓擅朝事以便其私，非忠臣也。且日蝕，陰侵陽、臣顓君之咎，今政事大小皆自鳳出，天子曾不一舉手，鳳不內省責，反歸咎善人，推遠定陶王。且鳳誣罔不忠，非一事也。前丞相樂昌侯商本以先帝外屬，內行篤，有威重，位歷將相，國家柱石臣也，其人守正，不肯詘節隨鳳委曲，卒用閨門之事為鳳所罷，身以憂死，眾庶愍之。又鳳知其小婦弟張美人已嘗適人，於禮不宜配御至尊，托以為宜子，內之後宮，苟以私其妻弟。聞張美人未嘗任身就館也。且羌胡尚殺首子以蕩腸正世，況於天子而近已出之女也！此三者皆大事，陛下所自見，足以知其餘，及它所不見者。鳳不可令久典事，宜退使就第，選忠賢以代之。」

Wang Zhang, governor of the capital, was blunt by nature; he believed Feng wrong to banish the prince of Dingtao and filed a sealed note arguing the eclipse augured something else. The emperor called him in and pressed him; Wang Zhang said, "Heaven is clear-sighted: it blesses the good and smites the wicked, marking them with omens. You lack an heir, so you have drawn the prince of Dingtao close to sustain the temples and secure the altars—above this answers heaven, below it steadies the people. That is just and good; one should expect felicity—why should it breed portents of ill? When ill omens come, it is because powerful ministers hold all authority. I hear the great general meanly pins the eclipse on the prince and drives him home, wanting the emperor isolated aloft so he can run the court for private gain—that is not loyal service. An eclipse means yin eating at yang and subjects lording over the ruler; today every decision flows from Feng while the emperor lifts not a finger; Feng does not search his own heart but blames the innocent and drives the prince off. Nor is this Feng's only deceit or disloyalty. The late chancellor, Marquis of Lechang Wang Shang, came from the previous emperor's maternal kin; inwardly he was solid and commanded respect, having served as general and minister—a pillar of the state. He kept the straight course and would not truckle to Feng's intrigues, so Feng ousted him over a boudoir scandal; he died of sorrow and the people mourned him. Feng also knew his junior concubine's sister, the Zhang lady, had already been another man's wife and by rite must not serve the sovereign; yet he pretended she would bear sons and slipped her into the harem to please his brother-in-law. Word is she has never quickened with child or entered the birth hall. Even Qiang and Hu slay firstborns to cleanse the line—how much more must the Son of Heaven shun a woman already another man's issue! These three are weighty affairs you have witnessed yourself; from them you may infer the rest, and what lies beyond your sight. Feng cannot hold power indefinitely; send him home to his estate and put honest men in his place."

自鳳之白罷商後遣定陶王也，上不能平。及聞章言，天子感寤，納之，謂章曰：「微京兆尹直言，吾不聞社稷計！且唯賢知賢，君試為朕求可以自輔者。」於是章奏封事，薦中山孝王舅琅邪太守馮野王「先帝時歷二卿，忠信質直，知謀有餘。野王以王舅出，以賢復人，明聖主樂進賢也。」上自為太子時數聞野王先帝名卿，聲譽出鳳遠甚，方倚欲以代鳳。

Ever since Feng cashiered Shang and packed the prince of Dingtao off, the emperor had nursed a grievance. Hearing Wang Zhang, he woke to the truth and said, "Without your blunt speech I would never have heard advice for the realm! Only the worthy recognize worth—find me someone fit to strengthen my hand." Wang Zhang then sealed a memorial recommending Feng Yewang, uncle of the prince of Zhongshan and governor of Langye: "Under the late emperor he twice held ministerial rank; he is loyal, plain, and straight, with counsel to spare. Yewang had left office because he was the king's maternal uncle; to recall him for his worth shows how a sage ruler delights in promoting the worthy." Even as crown prince he had often heard Yewang praised among the late emperor's great ministers—his name shone far above Feng's—and he had meant to lean on Yewang as Feng's successor.

初，章每召見，上輒辟左右。時太后從弟長樂衛尉弘子侍中音獨側聽，具知章言，以語鳳。鳳聞之，稱病出就第，上疏乞骸骨，謝上曰：「臣材駑愚戇，得以外屬兄弟七人封為列侯，宗族蒙恩，賞賜無量。輔政出入七年，國家委任臣鳳，所言輒聽，薦士常用。無一功善，陰陽不調，災異數見，咎在臣鳳奉職無狀，此臣一當退也。《五經》傳記，師所誦說，咸以日蝕之咎在於大臣非其人，《易》曰『折其右肱』，此臣二當退也。河平以來，臣久病連年，數出在外，曠職素餐，此臣三當退也。陛下以皇太后故不忍誅廢，臣猶自知當遠流放，又重自念，兄弟宗族所蒙不測，當殺身靡骨死輦轂下，不當以無益之故有離寢門之心，誠歲余以來，所苦加侵，日日益甚，不勝大願，願乞骸骨，歸自治養，冀賴陛下神靈，未埋發齒，期月之間，幸得瘳愈，復望帷幄，不然，必置溝壑。臣以非材見私，天下知臣受恩深也；以病得全骸骨歸，天下知臣被恩見哀，重巍巍也。進退於國為厚，萬無纖介之議。唯陛下哀憐！」其辭指甚哀，太后聞之為垂涕，不御食。

Each time Wang Zhang came to audience, the emperor cleared the room of attendants. Wang Yin, palace attendant and son of Wang Hong, the Changle guard commandant who was the empress dowager's cousin, eavesdropped alone, heard every word, and carried it all to Wang Feng. Feng feigned sickness, retired home, and sent up a groveling memorial: "I am a dull, blunt man, yet seven brothers of the affinal house became full marquises; the whole clan has drunk deep of imperial favor. Seven years I have helped govern; the court has hung on my word, and every man I pushed forward won a post. I have done nothing truly good; yin and yang stay out of tune and omens pile up—the fault is mine in office. That is my first reason to step down. The Five Classics and their commentaries all say an eclipse indicts ministers unfit for their posts; the Book of Changes speaks of breaking the right arm—that is my second reason to retire. Since Heping I have lingered sick, often away from my desk, eating salary without earning it—my third cause to go. You spare me execution for the empress dowager's sake, yet I know I deserve exile. Still I remember how boundlessly my kinsmen have been enriched—I should grind myself to dust under your wheels—yet I must not, on a petty pretext, turn my back on the inner palace. For more than a year my sickness has worsened daily; I can bear it no longer. Grant me my bones to heal at home; if your spirit wills it, before I am in the grave I may in a month or two rally and again serve within the curtain; if not, cast me out to rot. The world knows how deeply you have favored a man of no real talent. Letting me go home whole on grounds of sickness will show the empire the depth of your mercy. Either way the state is richer for it, and no one will whisper complaint. Only pity me, Your Majesty!" The plea was heart-rending; the empress dowager wept at the news and refused her meal.

上少而親倚鳳，弗忍廢，乃報鳳曰：「朕秉事不明，政事多闕，故天變婁臻，咸在朕躬。將軍乃深引過自予，欲乞骸骨而退，則朕將何向焉！《書》不雲乎？『公毋困我』。務專精神，安心自持，期於亟廖，稱朕意焉。」於是鳳起視事。上使尚書劾奏章：「知野王前以王舅出補吏，而私薦之，欲令在朝阿附諸侯；又知張美人體御至尊，而妄稱引羌胡殺子蕩腸，非所宜言。」遂下章吏。廷尉致其大逆罪，以為「比上夷狄，欲絕繼嗣之端；背畔天子，私為定陶王。」章死獄中，妻子徙合浦。

Raised under Feng's wing, the emperor could not cast him off and answered: "My rule has been dim and the administration full of holes; heaven's warnings come one after another—the fault is mine alone. If you shoulder every fault and beg to retire, where am I to turn? Does not the Book of Documents say? 'Do not, my duke, beset me. Gather your strength, quiet your heart, and mend in haste—that is what I wish of you." Feng left his sickbed and returned to duty. He had the Masters of Writing indict Wang Zhang: "Zhang knew Yewang had been demoted to a local post as the prince's uncle, yet privately pushed his recall, scheming to plant him at court to toady to the feudatories. He knew the Zhang lady had shared the sovereign's couch, yet wildly invoked barbarians slaying firstborns—speech unfit for a subject." Zhang was handed to the judicial clerks. The commandant of justice framed a charge of great treason: "He likened the throne to barbarian ways and meant to sever the line of succession. He turned his back on the Son of Heaven and secretly worked the prince of Dingtao's interest." Wang Zhang died in jail; his family was transported to Hepu.

自是公卿見鳳，側目而視，郡國守相、刺吏皆出其門。又以侍中太僕音為御史大夫，列於三公。而五侯群弟，爭為奢移，賂遺珍寶，四面而至；後廷姬妾，各數十人，僮奴以千百數，羅鐘馨，舞鄭女，作倡優，狗馬馳逐；大治第室，起土山漸臺，洞門高廊閣道，連屬彌望。百姓歌之曰：「五侯初起，曲陽最怒，壞決高都，連竟外杜，土山漸臺西白虎。」其奢僭如此。然皆通敏人事，好士養賢，傾財施予，以相高尚。

After that every minister met Feng with sidelong glances; commandery and kingdom governors and regional inspectors all owed their posts to his door. Yin, palace attendant and grand coachman, was made imperial counselor—one of the Three Dukes. The five brothers outdid one another in waste and display; treasures poured in from every direction as bribes. Their rear halls swarmed with dozens of concubines each and hundreds or thousands of slaves; bells and stone chimes rang, dancers from Zheng performed, actors capered, dogs and horses raced the grounds. They threw up vast compounds—earthen mounds, terraced belvederes, arched gateways, lofty cloisters, and linked galleries that ran to the horizon. The people sang: "When the five marquises first rose, Quyang was worst—he burst the Gaodu dyke, linked channel to outer Waidu; west of the mound and tower stood the White Tiger hall." Their presumption and waste reached that pitch. Yet they were shrewd with men, patronized scholars, poured gold on guests, and vied to seem high-minded.

鳳輔政凡十一歲。陽朔三年秋，鳳疾，天子數自臨問，親執其手，涕泣曰：「將軍病，如有不可言，平阿侯譚次將軍矣。」鳳頓首泣曰：「譚等雖與臣至親，行皆奢僭，無以率導百姓，不如御史大夫音謹敕，臣敢以死保之。」及鳳且死，上疏謝上，復固薦音自代，言譚等五人必不可用。天子然之。

Wang Feng held the reins eleven years. That autumn of Yangshuo 3, as Feng sickened, the emperor visited again and again, took his hand in tears, and said, "If the worst should come, Marquis of Ping'e Tan succeeds you as chief minister." Feng kowtowed in tears: "Tan and his brothers are kin, yet every one of them is reckless and overweening—useless as models for the people. Yin the imperial counselor is careful and sober; I stake my life on him." On his deathbed he thanked the throne and pressed Yin again as his sole successor, insisting the five brothers must never be given power. The emperor agreed.

初，譚倨，不肯事鳳，而音敬鳳，卑恭如子，故薦之。鳳薨，天子臨吊贈寵，送以輕車介士，軍陳自長安至渭陵，謚曰敬成侯。子襄嗣侯，為衛尉。御史大夫音竟代鳳為大司馬車騎將軍，而平阿侯譚位特進，領城門兵。谷永說譚，令讓不受城門職，由是與音不平，語在《永傳》。

At first Wang Tan had been haughty and would not defer to Wang Feng, while Wang Yin treated Feng with the humility of a son; for that reason Feng advanced Yin's career. When Wang Feng died, the emperor personally attended the funeral, lavished gifts on the burial, and sent the cortège with light war carts and armored escorts while troops lined the road from Chang'an to Weiling; he was posthumously titled Marquis Jingcheng, “Reverent and Accomplished.” His son Wang Xiang inherited the marquisate and was appointed commandant of the guard. Imperial Counselor Wang Yin eventually succeeded Wang Feng as grand marshal and general of chariots and cavalry, whereas Wang Tan of Ping'e held only the honorific rank of Tejin and retained command of the capital gate troops. Gu Yong urged Wang Tan to decline the gate command; Tan took the advice, and bad blood arose between him and Wang Yin, as told in Gu Yong's biography.

音既以從舅越親用事，小心親職，歲餘，上下詔曰：「車騎將軍音宿衛忠正，勤勞國家，前為御史大夫，以外親宜典兵馬，入為將軍，不獲宰相之封，朕甚慊焉！其封音為安陽侯，食邑與五侯等，俱三千戶。」

Once Yin took power—as a closer cousin on the distaff side—he served with caution. A year later the edict ran: "The general of chariots and cavalry has long kept loyal night watch and worn himself out for the realm; he was once imperial counselor; as in-law he was rightly given troops, then raised to general, yet never got a chancellor's reward—I regret that deeply. Make Yin marquis of Anyang with three thousand households, matching the five brothers' fiefs."

初，成都侯商嘗病，欲避暑，從上借明光宮，後又穿長安城，引內澧水注第中大陂以行船，立羽蓋，張周帷，輯濯越歌。上幸商第，見穿城引水，意恨，內銜之，未言。後微行出，過曲陽侯第，又見園中土山漸臺似類白虎殿。於是上怒，以讓車騎將軍音。商、根兄弟欲自黥、劓謝太后。上聞之大怒，乃使尚書責問司隸校尉、京兆尹：「知成都侯商擅穿帝城，決引澧水，曲陽侯根驕奢僭上，赤墀青瑣，紅陽侯立父子臧匿奸猾亡命，賓客為群盜，司隸、京兆皆阿縱不舉奏正法。」二人頓首省戶下。又賜車騎將軍音策書曰：「外家何甘樂禍敗，而欲自黥、劓，相戮辱於太后前，傷慈母之心，以危亂國！外家宗族強，上一身寢弱日久，今將一施之。君其召諸侯，令待府捨。」是日，詔尚書奏文帝時誅將軍薄昭故事。車騎將軍音藉槁請罪，商、立、根皆負斧質謝。上不忍誅，然後得已。

Marquis of Chengdu Wang Shang once sought relief from summer heat: he borrowed Bright Light Palace from the throne, then cut through the capital wall, diverted the Li into his estate to float pleasure boats, raised feathered canopies, hung silken curtains, and set oarsmen chanting Yue boat songs. An imperial visit showed the breach in the wall and the canal—rage coiled in the emperor's breast, though he held his tongue. Later, traveling incognito, he passed Quyang's villa and saw a mound and terrace that mimicked the palace White Tiger Hall. He burst out and rebuked General Yin. Shang and Gen offered to mutilate themselves—tattoo and clipped nose—to appease the empress dowager. He sent the Masters of Reading to flay the metropolitan colonel and the governor of the capital: "You knew Chengdu had breached the imperial wall and tapped the Li; Quyang flaunted cinnabar steps and green latches above his rank; Hongyang hid wanted criminals whose retainers turned bandit—yet you winked at it all and filed no charge." Both men kowtowed at the chamber door. His rescript to General Yin ran: "Why does the affinal house court disaster, begging to scar and slash one another before the dowager, breaking a mother's heart and shaking the realm? The in-laws have grown too mighty while I have long been frail—now I will strike once, hard. Summon every marquis and hold them at the ministry compound." That same day he told the Masters of Reading to cite Emperor Wen's execution of General Bo Zhao. Yin threw himself on straw matting to beg mercy; Shang, Li, and Gen came with axe and stake on their backs. The emperor relented and let the matter drop.

久之，平阿侯譚薨，謚曰安侯，子仁嗣侯。太后憐弟曼蚤死，獨不封，曼寡婦渠供養東宮，子莽幼孤不及等比，常以為語。平阿侯譚、成都侯商及在位多稱莽者。久之，上復下詔追封曼為新都哀侯，而子莽嗣爵為新都侯。後又封太后姊子淳天長為定陵侯。王氏親屬，侯者凡十人。

Years later Marquis of Ping'e Tan died, posthumously honored as Marquis An; his son Ren inherited the title. The dowager grieved for her brother Man, dead young and never ennobled; his widow Qu served the Eastern Palace, and young Mang had been passed over—she never ceased mentioning it. Tan of Ping'e, Shang of Chengdu, and other men in power all spoke well of Mang. At length an edict posthumously made Man Marquis Ai of Xindu, and Mang inherited as marquis of Xindu. He later enfeoffed Chunyu Chang—son of the dowager's elder sister—as marquis of Dingling. Ten Wang in-laws now held marquises.

上悔廢平阿侯譚不輔政而薨也，乃復進成都侯商以特進，領城門兵，置幕府，得舉吏如將軍。杜鄴說車騎將軍音令親附商，語在《鄴傳》。王氏爵位日盛，唯音為修整，數諫正，有忠節，輔政八年，薨。吊贈如大將軍，謚曰敬侯。子舜嗣侯，為太僕侍中。特進成都侯商代音為大司馬衛將軍，而紅陽侯立位特進，領城門兵。商輔政四歲，病乞骸骨，天子憫之，更以為大將軍，益封二千戶，賜錢百萬。商薨，吊贈如大將軍故事，謚曰景成侯，子況嗣侯。紅陽侯立次當輔政，有罪過，語在《孫寶傳》。上乃廢立，而用光祿勳曲陽侯根為大司馬票騎將軍，歲余益封千七百戶。高平侯逢時無材能名稱，是歲薨，謚曰戴侯，子買之嗣侯。

The emperor came to regret having sidelined Wang Tan of Ping'e so that he died without holding power; he therefore restored Wang Shang of Chengdu to favor as Tejin, gave him the gate garrison, authorized a full military secretariat, and let him nominate subordinates as if he were a field commander. Du Ye urged General of Chariots and Cavalry Wang Yin to align himself with Wang Shang; the story is in Du Ye's biography. As the Wang family's honors mounted, Wang Yin alone kept a measured bearing, speaking up often to set policy right and passing for a man of loyalty; he directed the government for eight years before he died. The court mourned him with the honors due a grand general and gave him the posthumous name Jing, “the Reverent Marquis.” His son Wang Shun succeeded to the title and held the offices of grand coachman and attendant-in-chamber. Wang Shang of Chengdu, as Tejin, succeeded Wang Yin as grand marshal and general of the guard; Wang Li of Hongyang received Tejin rank in turn and took over the gate troops. After four years guiding policy Wang Shang fell ill and asked leave to retire; the emperor took pity, named him grand general instead, added two thousand households to his fief, and awarded a million cash. When Wang Shang died the court followed the full ceremony used for a grand general and gave him the posthumous title Jingcheng; his son Wang Kuang inherited the marquisate. Wang Li of Hongyang stood next in succession to lead the government but was stained by scandal, as Sun Bao's biography relates. The emperor therefore passed Wang Li over and appointed Wang Gen of Quyang, superintendent of the imperial household, as grand marshal and general of agile cavalry; a year later he enlarged Gen's fief by another seventeen hundred households. Wang Fengshi of Gaoping had never made a name for himself; he died the same year and was posthumously titled Dai; his son Wang Maizhi succeeded to the marquisate.

綏和元年，上即位二十餘年無繼嗣，而定陶共王已薨，子嗣立為王。王祖母定陶傅太后重賂遺票騎將軍根，為王求漢嗣，根為言，上亦欲立之，遂徵定陶王為太子。時根輔政五歲矣，乞骸骨，上乃益封根五千戶，賜安車駟馬，黃金五百斤，罷就第。

In the first year of Suihe, after more than twenty years on the throne still without an heir, the Prince Gong of Dingtao had died and his son succeeded as king. The prince's grandmother, Lady Fu of Dingtao, stuffed General Gen's pockets to win the crown for her grandson; Gen spoke in his favor, the emperor concurred, and the prince of Dingtao was summoned as heir. Gen had governed five years; he asked to retire. The emperor added five thousand households to his fief, gave him a state carriage, four horses, five hundred jin of gold, and sent him home.

先是，定陵侯淳于長以外屬能謀議，為衛尉侍中，在輔政之次。是歲，新都侯莽告長伏罪與紅陽侯立相連，長下獄死，立就國，語在《長傳》。故曲陽侯根薦莽以自代，上亦以為莽有忠直節，遂擢莽從侍中騎都尉光祿大夫為大司馬。

Earlier Chunyu Chang of Dingling, an in-law skilled in intrigue, had been commandant of the guards and palace attendant—second only to the chief minister. That year Mang denounced Chang's secret crimes tied to Li of Hongyang; Chang died in prison, Li was sent to his fief—the tale is told in Chang's biography. Quyang's Gen then backed Mang as his successor; the emperor too saw loyalty in Mang and raised him from palace attendant, chief of cavalry, and grandee of brilliant virtue to grand marshal.

歲餘，成帝崩，哀帝即位。太后詔莽就第，避帝外家。哀帝初優莽，不聽。莽上書固乞骸骨而退。上乃下詔曰：「曲陽侯根前在位，建社稷策。侍中太僕安陽侯舜往時護太子家，導朕，忠誠專一，有舊恩。新都侯莽憂勞國家，執義堅固，庶幾與為治，太皇太后詔休就第，朕甚閔焉。其益封根二千戶，舜五百戶，莽三百五十戶。以莽為特進，朝朔望。」又還紅陽侯立京師。哀帝少而聞知五氏驕盛，心不能善，以初立，故優之。

A year later Cheng died and Ai took the throne. The dowager told Mang to retire home and clear the field for the new emperor's maternal relatives. At first Ai favored Mang and refused. Mang pressed a memorial, begging to retire in earnest. The edict answered: "Quyang's Gen once set state policy from high office. Anyang's Shun, palace attendant and grand coachman, once guarded the heir's house and guided me with steadfast old devotion. Xindu's Mang has worn himself out for the realm, clinging to principle; I meant to rule with him until the grand empress dowager ordered him home—I grieve for that. Add two thousand households to Gen, five hundred to Shun, three hundred fifty to Mang. Advance Mang to specially advanced rank with audience on new and full moons." He recalled Li of Hongyang to the capital. Young Ai had grown up hearing how the five Wang swaggered; he disliked them, yet as a new sovereign he still indulged them.

後月餘，司隸校尉解光奏：「曲陽侯根宗重身尊，三世據權，五將秉政，天下輻湊自效。根行貪邪，臧累巨萬，縱橫恣意，大治室第，第中起土山，立兩市，殿上赤墀，戶青瑣；遊觀射獵，使奴從者被甲持弓弩，陳為步兵；止宿離宮，水衡共張，發民治道，百姓苦其役。內懷奸邪，欲管朝政，推親近吏主簿張業以為尚書，蔽上壅下，內塞王路，外交籓臣，驕奢僭上，壞亂制度，案根骨肉至親，社稷大臣，先帝棄天下，根不悲哀思慕，山陵未成，公聘取故掖庭女樂五官殷嚴、王飛君等，置酒歌舞，捐忘先帝厚恩，背臣子義。及根兄子成都侯況幸得以外親繼父為列侯侍中，不思報厚恩，亦聘取故掖庭貴人以為妻，皆無人臣禮，大不敬不道。」於是天子曰：「先帝遇根、況父子，至厚也，今乃背忘恩義！」以根嘗建社稷之策，遣就國。免況為庶人，歸故郡。根及況父商所薦舉為官者，皆罷。

A month later Colonel Xie Guang charged: "Gen of Quyang's clan is mighty and his person exalted; three generations have gripped power, five generals have run the court, and the empire has flocked to do his bidding. He is greedy and corrupt, his hidden treasure reckoned in tens of millions; he built on a princely scale—mound inside the gate, twin market streets, cinnabar hall steps, jade-green door fittings. For hunts and outings he armored retainers with crossbows and drilled them like infantry. He slept in detached palaces while the waterworks office catered his feasts and peasants paved his roads—the people groaned under his labor levies. Inwardly he harbored treachery and meant to control the government. He promoted his close clerk Zhang Ye to be a Master of Writing, screened the throne above and blocked those below, stopped up the royal road within, and maintained outside dealings with feudatory ministers. Arrogant and extravagant, he usurped what belonged above him and ruined the institutions. Wang Gen was a blood relative and intimate kin, a great minister of the altars of state; yet when the late emperor left the world he felt no grief or longing. Before the imperial tomb was finished, he publicly took as wives former Yeeting female musicians Yin Yan and Wang Feijun of the Five Offices, held feasts with song and dance, cast aside the late emperor's deep favor, and betrayed the duty of minister and subject. His nephew Kuang of Chengdu, ennobled through a stepfather and serving at court, likewise wedded a cast-off palace lady—utter contempt for a minister's duty." The emperor answered: "The late sovereign showered Gen and Kuang with favor—how dare they forget it! Yet Gen had once set state policy, so he was banished to his fief only. Kuang was stripped to commoner rank and sent home. Every man Gen and Kuang's father Shang had placed in office was cashiered.

後二歲，傅太后、帝母丁姬皆稱尊號。有司奏：「新都侯莽前為大司馬，貶抑尊號之議，虧損孝道，及平阿侯仁臧匿趙昭儀親屬，皆就國。」天下多冤王氏。

Two years on, Grand Empress Dowager Fu and the emperor's mother Lady Ding received lofty titles. The ministry reported: "Mang of Xindu, ex-grand marshal, blocked the honor titles and wounded filial duty; Ren of Ping'e hid Zhao the fair lady's kin—both must return to their fiefs." Much of the empire thought the Wangs had been wronged.

諫大夫楊宣上封事言：「孝成皇帝深惟宗廟之重，稱述陛下至德以承天序，聖策深遠，恩德至厚。惟念先帝之意，豈不欲以陛下自代，奉承東宮哉！太皇太后春秋七十，數更憂傷，敕令親屬引領以避丁、傅。行道之人為之隕涕，況於陛下，時登高遠望，獨不漸於延陵乎！」哀帝深感其言，復封商中子邑為成都侯。

Remonstrance Grandee Yang Xuan sealed a plea: "Emperor Cheng weighed the temples deeply and praised your virtue as heir to heaven; his design was far-sighted, his kindness immense. Surely the late emperor meant you to take his place and wait on the Eastern Palace! The grand empress dowager is seventy and heartsore; she has told her kin to shrink back before the Ding and Fu. Wayfarers weep at the sight—will you, who mount high towers and gaze afar, feel no shame before Emperor Cheng's Yanling tomb?" Moved, Ai restored Wang Shang's middle son, Wang Yi, as marquis of Chengdu.

元壽元年，日蝕。賢良對策多訟新都侯莽者，上於是徵莽及平阿侯仁還京師侍太后。曲陽侯根薨，國除。

the first year of Yuanshou brought an eclipse. Examination candidates clamored for Mang; the emperor recalled Mang and Ren of Ping'e to wait on the dowager. Gen of Quyang died; his marquisate lapsed.

明年，哀帝崩，無子，太皇太后以莽為大司馬，與共徵立中山王奉哀帝後，是為平帝。帝年九歲，當年被疾，太后臨朝，委政於莽，莽顓威福。紅陽侯立莽諸父，平阿侯仁素剛直，莽內憚之，令大臣以罪過奏遣立、仁就國。莽日誑耀太后，言輔政致太平，群臣奏請尊莽為安漢公。后遂遣使者迫守立、仁令自殺。賜立謚曰荒侯，子柱嗣，仁謚曰刺侯，子術嗣。是歲，元始三年也。

The following year Ai died heirless; the grand empress dowager appointed Mang grand marshal, and together they raised the prince of Zhongshan to continue Ai's line—Emperor Ping. The boy emperor was nine and fell sick; the grand empress dowager held court and handed power to Wang Mang, who seized every lever of reward and terror. Li of Hongyang was Mang's senior uncle; Ren of Ping'e was notoriously blunt—Mang feared both and had ministers drum up charges to pack them off to their fiefs. Daily he flattered the dowager with tales of peace under his hand until the whole bureaucracy begged to dub him Duke Who Pacifies Han. She then sent men to hem them in at home and drive them to suicide. Li was posthumously shamed as Marquis Wasteland, his son Zhu inheriting; Ren was labeled Marquis Thorn, his son Shu succeeding. That year was Yuanshi 3 (3 CE).

明年，莽風群臣奏立莽女為皇后。又奏尊莽為宰衡，莽母及兩太子皆封為列侯，語在《莽傳》。

The following year Mang stage-managed a plea to crown his own daughter empress. They further asked to exalt him as Regulator-and-Balance; his mother and two princely sons each got a full marquisate—the full story sits in Mang's biography.

莽既外一群臣，令稱已功德，又內媚事旁側長御以下，賂遺以千萬數。白尊太后姊妹君俠為廣恩君，君力為廣惠君，君弟為廣施君，皆食湯沐邑，日夜共譽莽。莽又知太后婦人厭居深宮中，莽欲虞樂以市其權，乃令太后四時車駕巡狩四郊，存見孤寡貞婦。春幸繭館，率皇后、列侯夫人桑，遵霸水而祓除；夏游篽宿、鄠、杜之間；秋歷東館，望昆明，集黃山宮；冬饗飲飛羽，校獵上蘭，登長平館，臨涇水而覽焉。太后所至屬縣，輒施恩惠，賜民錢、帛、牛、酒，歲以為常。太后從容言曰：「我始入太子家時，見於丙殿，至今五六十歲尚頗識之。」莽因曰：「太子宮幸近，可一往遊觀，不足以為勞。」於是太后幸太子宮，甚說。太后旁弄兒病在外舍，莽自親侯之。其欲得太后意如此。

He had the whole court singing his praises while he stuffed the dowager's women—from chief attendants down—with bribes counted in the millions. He ennobled her sisters—Junxia, Junli, Junyi—as ladies of broad grace, kindness, and bounty, each with a bathing-town stipend, to hymn his virtues night and day. Knowing she loathed the cloistered palace, he sent her on seasonal outings to the outskirts to comfort widows, orphans, and virtuous widows—buying her goodwill with spectacle. In spring she visited the Silkworm House, led the empress and marquises' wives in the mulberry rite, then purified the court along the Ba's banks; in summer she ranged the parks between Bisù, Hu, and Du; in autumn she toured the eastern lodges, looked out on Kunming Pool, and halted at Huangshan Palace; in winter she feasted the Yifei marksmen, hunted the Shanglan preserve, climbed Changping Lodge, and gazed on the Jing. Wherever she stopped she scattered coin, cloth, cattle, and wine until it became an annual ritual. She mused aloud, "When I first entered the heir's palace I was presented in Bing Hall—fifty or sixty years later I still remember every corner. Mang said softly, "The heir's palace is just next door—a short visit would cost you little fatigue. She made the visit and was delighted. When a young favorite of hers sickened in an outer lodging, Mang himself attended the sickbed. That was the lengths to which he went to read her wishes.

平帝崩，無子，莽徵宣帝玄孫選最少者廣戚侯子劉嬰，年二歲，托以卜相為最吉。乃風公卿奏請立嬰為孺子，令宰衡安漢公莽踐祚居攝，如周公傅成王故事。太后不以為可，力不能禁，於是莽遂為攝皇帝，改元稱制焉。俄而宗室安眾侯劉崇及東郡太守翟義等惡之，更舉兵欲誅莽。太后聞之，曰：「人心不相遠也。我雖婦人，亦知莽必以是自危，不可。」其後，莽遂以符命自立為真皇帝，先奉諸符瑞以白太后，太后大驚。

Ping died heirless; Mang called up Xuandi's most remote descendants and fixed on the two-year-old son of the Guangqi marquis, Liu Ying, insisting omens and face-reading marked him the luckiest choice. He orchestrated a memorial to make Ying the "infant heir" and set Mang, Duke Who Pacifies Han, on the regent's dais like the Duke of Zhou guiding young Cheng. The dowager thought it wrong but could not stop it; Mang became regent-emperor, changed the reign title, and issued edicts as sovereign. Soon imperial clansman Liu Chong of Anzhong and Zhai Yi of Dong commandery, hating what they saw, rose in arms to kill Mang. Hearing the news she said, "Men's hearts are not so different from mine. Even I, a woman, know this will only doom Mang—it cannot stand." Later Mang used forged portents to declare himself true emperor; he first laid every talisman before the dowager, who reeled in horror.

初，漢高祖入咸陽至霸上，秦王子嬰降於軹道，奉上始皇璽。及高祖誅項籍，即天子位，因御服其璽，世世傳受，號曰漢傳國璽，以孺子未立，璽臧長樂宮。及莽即位，請璽，太后不肯授莽。莽使安陽侯舜諭指。舜素謹敕，太后雅愛信之。舜既見，太后知其為莽求璽，怒罵之曰：「而屬父子宗族蒙漢家力，富貴累世，既無以報，受人孤寄，乘便利時，奪取其國，不復顧恩義。人如此者，狗豬不食其餘，天下豈有而兄弟邪！且若自以金匱符命為新皇帝，變更正朔服制，亦當自更作璽，傳之萬世，何用此亡國不詳璽為，而欲求之？！我漢家老寡婦，旦暮且死，欲與此璽俱葬，終不可得！」太后因涕泣而言，旁側長御以下皆垂涕。舜亦悲不能自止，良久乃仰謂太后：「臣等已無可言者。莽必欲得傳國璽，太后寧能終不與邪！」太后聞舜語切，恐莽欲脅之，乃出漢傳國璽，投之地以授舜，曰：「我老已死，如而兄弟，今族滅也！」舜既得傳國璽，奏之，莽大說，乃為太后置酒未央宮漸臺，大縱眾樂。

When Liu Bang entered Xianyang and halted at Bashang, the last Qin prince surrendered at Zhidao and handed up the First Emperor's jade seal. After he slew Xiang Yu and took the throne he wore it in court; each reign passed it down as Han's heirloom seal of state; with no infant yet enthroned, it lay in Changle Palace. When Mang seized the throne he demanded the seal; the dowager refused. He dispatched Wang Shun of Anyang to argue his case. Shun was sober and dutiful, and she had long loved and trusted him. When she saw him she knew why he had come and railed: "Your whole line has fattened on Han for generations, yet you repay a widowed house by stealing the realm when the boy was helpless, with never a thought for grace or duty. Men so vile dogs and pigs would scorn their leavings—are there truly brothers as base as you under heaven? If your gilded box and forged charts make you emperor, change the calendar and robes yourself and cast a new seal for endless ages—why crave this ill-starred relic of a fallen dynasty? I am Han's old widow, dying by the day—I mean to take this seal to the grave, and you shall not have it!" She wept as she spoke; every woman at her side wept with her. Shun wept until he could not master himself, then looked up: "We have said all we can. Mang will have that seal—can you refuse him forever?" Hearing the threat in his voice, she feared worse violence; she produced the seal, dashed it to the floor, and thrust it at him: "I am dying; with kinsmen like you the whole house is doomed! Shun reported the prize; Mang rejoiced and threw a banquet for her on Weiyang's terraced tower, music blaring.

莽又欲改太后漢家舊號，易其璽綬，恐不見聽，而莽疏屬王諫欲諂莽，上書言：「皇天廢去漢而命立新室，太皇太后不宜稱尊號，當隨漢廢，以奉天命」。莽乃車駕至東宮，親以其書白太后。太后曰：「此言是也！」莽因曰：「此悖德之臣也，罪當誅！」於是冠軍張永獻符命銅璧，文言「太皇太后當為新室文母太皇太后。」莽乃下詔曰：「予視群公，咸曰『休哉！其文字非刻非畫，厥性自然』。予伏念皇天命予為子，更命太皇太后為『新室文母太皇太后』，協於新、故交代之際，信於漢氏。哀帝之代，世傳行詔籌，為西王母共具之祥，當為歷代母，昭然著明。於祗畏天命，敢不欽承！謹以令月吉日，親率群公諸侯卿士，奉上皇太后璽紱，以當順天心，光於四海焉。」太后聽許。莽於是鴆殺王諫，而封張永為貢符子。

Mang also wished to change the empress dowager's old Han titles and alter her seal-cords, fearing she would not listen; but Mang's distant kinsman Wang Jian, wishing to flatter Mang, submitted a memorial saying: "High Heaven has cast off Han and commanded the establishment of the New House; the grand empress dowager ought not to bear an exalted title but should follow Han in being abolished, to obey heaven's mandate." Mang drove to the Eastern Palace and showed her the letter himself. She said coldly, "He speaks the truth. Mang cut in: "Treasonous words—he must die! Then Zhang Yong of Champion offered a bronze talisman reading: "The grand empress dowager shall be Mother of Culture of the New dynasty." Mang issued an edict: "The lords all cry, 'How glorious! The characters are neither carved nor painted—they seem born of themselves. Heaven has named me son and renamed her Mother of Culture—fitting the handoff from Han to Xin. Under Emperor Ai the realm passed edict tallies said to foretell the Queen Mother of the West—sign that a mother of ages would arise. Who then would dare defy such a command? On an auspicious day I shall lead the nobility to surrender her old seal and cord, answering heaven and dazzling the realm." She consented. Mang poisoned Wang Jian and made Zhang Yong viscount of the tribute tally.

初，莽為安漢公時，又諂太后，奏尊元帝廟為高宗，太后晏駕後當以禮配食云。及莽改號太后為新室文母，絕之於漢，不令得體元帝。墮壞孝元廟，更為文母太后起廟，獨置孝元廟故殿以為文母篹食堂，既成，名曰長壽宮。以太后在，故未謂之廟。莽以太后好出遊觀，乃車駕置酒長壽宮，請太后。既至，見孝元廟廢徹塗地，太后驚，泣曰：「此漢家宗廟，皆有神靈，與何治而壞之！且使鬼神無知，又何用廟為！如令有知，我乃人之妃妾，豈宜辱帝之堂以陳饋食哉！」私謂左右曰：「此人嫚神多矣，能久得晁乎！」飲酒不樂而罷。

While still Duke Who Pacifies Han he had Yuandi's shrine raised to Gaozong, promising she would share its offerings after her death. Once she became Mother of Culture of Xin, he severed her from Han and blocked her union with Yuandi in sacrifice. He razed Emperor Yuan's temple, built her a new shrine, and turned Yuan's old hall into a dining hall for her cult, naming the complex Longevity Palace. While she lived they dared not call it a full temple. Knowing her love of outings, he laid a feast at Longevity Palace and summoned her. She arrived to find Yuan's shrine razed to rubble and cried, "These were Han's spirit halls—by what right have you torn them down? If the shades know nothing, why keep a temple? If they have awareness, I am a mere consort of a man-how should I disgrace an emperor's hall by spreading food offerings here!" She whispered to her women, "He has mocked the spirits once too often—how long can his luck hold before heaven turns? The feast ended in gloom.

自莽篡位後，知太后怨恨，求所以媚太后無不為，然愈不說。莽更漢家黑貂，著黃貂，又改漢正朔伏臘日。太后令其官屬黑貂，至漢家正臘日，獨與其左右相對飲酒食。

Once he seized the throne he tried every blandishment, yet she only grew colder. He swapped Han's black court furs for yellow and moved New Year's day and the La festival. She ordered her staff to keep Han black and, on the old Han La day, drank and dined only with her own attendants.

太后年八十四，建國五年二月癸丑崩。三月乙酉，合葬渭陵。莽詔大夫揚雄作誄曰：「太陰之精，沙麓之靈，作合於漢，配元生成。」著其協於元城沙麓。太陰精者，謂夢月也。太后崩後十年，漢兵誅莽。

At eighty-four she died on guichou of the second month, Jianguo 5 (13 CE). On yiyou of the third month she was laid with Emperor Yuan at Weiling. Mang had Yang Xiong compose an elegy: "Essence of the great yin, spirit of Shalu, wed to Han, mate of Yuan who bore Cheng. The lines bound her fate to Yuancheng and the Shalu omen. "Great yin" alludes to the moon dream of her mother. Ten years after her death Han armies killed Mang.

初，紅陽侯立就國南陽，與諸劉結恩，立少子丹為中山太守。世祖初起，丹降，為將軍，戰死。上閔之，封丹子泓為武桓侯，至今。

Long before, Li of Hongyang, banished to Nanyang, had befriended the Liu clan; his younger son Dan governed Zhongshan. When Guangwu rose, Dan came over as a general and fell in battle. The emperor mourned him and enfeoffed Dan's son Hong as marquis of Wuhuan—a line that survives today.

司徒掾班彪曰：三代以來，《春秋》所記，王公國君，與其失世，稀不以女寵。漢興，后妃之家呂、霍、上官，幾危國者數矣。及王莽之興，由孝元后歷漢四世為天下母，饗國六十餘載，群弟世權，更持國柄，五將十侯，卒成新都。位號已移於天下，而元后卷卷猶握一璽，不欲以授莽，婦人之仁，悲夫！

Ban Biao, clerk to the minister of education, wrote: Since the Three Dynasties, the Annals show that when kings and lords lost their thrones, a woman's favor was seldom far from the cause. Under Han, the Lü, Huo, and Shangguan consort clans nearly toppled the state more than once. Wang Mang rose because Empress Xiaoyuan was mother to the realm across four reigns for sixty years; her brothers passed the baton of power—five generals, ten marquises—until Xin was won. The regalia had passed to another house, yet she clung to one jade seal, refusing Mang to the last—womanly softness—how tragic!

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